The prior art has heretofore proposed a multitude of differing forms of bait holders and lures. However, all of such prior art devices have certain important shortcomings.
Generally, any consistently successful fishing bait holder and/or lure must exhibit action while passing through the water. By "action" is meant that the bait, being drawn through the water, must have side-to-side movement, as well as preferably some up-and-down movement in order to closely imitate a swimming movement to thereby attract the fish in the vicinity.
In prior art lures and bait harnesses, a single eye-type anchor is usually provided near or at the forward end thereof and the same said forward end is either shaped or provided with a blade-like protuberance. The fishing line is secured to the single eye type anchor and while the lure or bait harness is drawn through the water by the fishing line the blade-like protuberance or the contour of the said forward end reacts against the water and causes some oscillating type motion to occur in the lure and/or bait harness. At first impression this appears to fulfill the general requirements of a suitable fishing lure and/or bait harness. However, experience shows that such prior art devices are not satisfactory.
For example, because sometimes the blade-like protuberance, the contour of the said forward end and/or the location of the eyelet means for towing the prior art devices are not in proper alignment with the remainder of the device, the desired oscillating type of motion of the lure or bait harness, during its use, is unattainable because the reaction forces of the water thereagainst often cause the device to assume either a generally stable attitude or one which is excessively erratic thereby failing to attract fish.
Another problem exhibited by the prior art devices employing blade-like protuberances is that such protuberances have a propensity for becoming caught by debris in the water as well as in and by forms of marine plant life often resulting in the associated fishing line becoming broken with the attendant loss of the lure or bait harness.
Another problem exhibited by the prior art devices is the unability thereof to assume and maintain the optimum attitude at various depths of water. That is, by way of background, it is known that there is temperature stratification in lakes and that the vertical or relative elevational locations of such respective strata change as during the calendar seasons as well as with respect to the depth profile of the body of water. Further, prolonged seasonal hot or cold spells also provide an influencing factor in the relative location of such strata. It is also known that the various species of fish exhibit varying preferences as to water temperature and such will usually seek the particular level or stratum in the lake which will provide the preferred water temperature. This, in turn, means that one will usually have to take steps in order to have the lure or bait harness being employed move along that particular temperature stratum which the fished-for species prefers. Since such a stratum may, as already described, vary in elevational location during the calendar seasons and as between different lakes, weights are often selectively added to either or both the lure (and/or bait harness) and the fishing line employed for towing such. It should be remembered that the prior art devices, because of their construction, especially with artificial lures, respectively exhibit a particular bouyancy and because of their contours they exhibit particular reactional forces against the water through which they pass. Generally, each of the prior art lures will have, inherently, a particular level or elevation within the lake or body of water in which it will best function. Unfortunately, such a level inherently best for any particular prior art lure does not usually coincide with the preferred temperature stratum sought by the species of fish being fished-for. Accordingly, with such prior art devices, especially those provided with a single eyelet (or similar means) for securing a towing fishing line thereto, it is accepted practice to secure selected weights (often referred to as split lead shot or sinkers) to the fishing line at a considerable distance forward of the lure or bait harness. This may appear to be a perfectly acceptable manner in causing the related lure to operate at a selected level within the water. However, it has been discovered that because of the force vectors involved in towing such an additionally weighted prior art lure, the lure is caused to assume an attitude within the water which is not conducive to it providing the desired action or motion within such water as it is being towed therethrough. That is, the lure, because of the increased length of fishing line, when fishing at greater depths, will usually assume a rather inclined attitude with either the forward or rearward most portion of the lure being at a slightly higher elevation depending on the configuration of the lure. This occurs even though the path of travel of the prior art lure may be in a plane generally parallel to the surface of the body of water. Consequently, the angle of attack of the forward most portion of the lure, with respect to the water through which it is passing, becomes sufficiently altered from its intended design angle as to seriously impair if not totally eliminate the intended desired oscillatory motion or action of such lure.
Accordingly the invention in its several aspects herein disclosed and claimed is primarily directed to the solution of the preceding and other attendant problems.